Pump unit



Feb. 20, 1934. s. H. HOBSON PUMP UNIT Filed Aug; 4, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheetl Feb. 20, 1934. s o s 1,947,551

PUMP UNIT Filed Aug. 4, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 20, 1934LdZSSl PUMP UNIT

Stanley H. Hobson, Rockford, 111., assignor to Geo. D. RoperCorporation, Rockford, Ill., a

corporation of Illinois Application August 4, 1931. Serial No. 555,104

1 Claim. (01'. 103-220) This invention relates to a pump unit designedfor domestic water system installations.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a pump unit in whichall of the parts, namely, the pump, the electric motor for driving thesame, the storage tank, and the automatic pressure regulator, areassembled together in a predetermined desired relationship, so that whenthe unit arrives on the job, nothing remains to be done other than toconnect the supply and service pipes with the unit and connect the motorwith the power circuit. This standardizes water systems and eliminatesall of the otherwise mysterious service troubles, so that themanufacturer or dealer can give intelligent advise to remedy any troublethat might arise, and is not put to a needless and endless amount oftrouble and expense.

Another object of the invention has reference to the provision of acheck valve and strainer embodied directly in the base portion of thehousing of the pump so as to eliminate a multiplicity of fittings andpipe connections and make for greater compactness and neater appearance.The

construction also has the advantage of making the check valve andstrainer quickly and easily accessible for inspection or replacement.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the followingdetailed description,

in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a side view of a pump unit embody ing my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end view illustrating the means for supportingthe tank on the motor, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-section on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Similar reference numerals are applied to cor responding partsthroughout the views.

The pump unit of my invention, as may be gathered from the foregoing, isself-contained, and arranged to be electrically driven and automaticallycontrolled, so as to start and stop of itself. It is primarily designedand intended for domestic use to furnish water under pressure to allfaucets to correspond to city water service, running water beingsupplied to the kitchen sink,

. bathroom and laundry, as well as to places outside the house, as forexample, stock tanks, etc.,

in farm installations. The particular pump utilized with this unitadapts the same to use for shallow driven well installations, or dugwells, cisterns, etc. Briefly stated, the unit comprises a pump 6,electric motor [for driving the same,

and an automatic pressure regulator 8, all mounted on a base 9 togetherwith a storage tank 10. Water from the well or cistern is drawn by thepump through a supply'pipe 11 and strainer 12 and check valve 13 andstored in the tank 10 under a pressure of say from twenty to thirty 00pounds per square inch. The pressure regulator 8 is of a standard typehaving a diaphragm in the casing 14 arranged to complete the circuit forthe motor 7 when the pressure in the tank, by reason of water havingbeen drawn therefrom, 65 has droppedto say twenty pounds per squareinch, and also arranged to break the circuit when, by reason ofoperation of the pump and replacement of the water supply in the storagetank, the pressure therein has been raised to say thirty-five to poundsper square inch, it being understood that a head space for trapped airis left in the tank to permit pressure to be built up therein in themanner described. A relief valve is incorporated in the face plate ofthe pump 6 at 15, and in case the pressure regulator 8 fails for anyreason to function properly and the pressure in the tank builds upbeyond a predetermined limit, the relief valve opens and allows water tobe exhausted from the tank through a waste pipe 16 leading to the seweror any suitable waste receptacle. Water is-supplied to the servicesystem through the pipe 17 leading from the storage tank. This muchdescription is enough to give a general understanding of the unit of myinvention and to show that it is entirely self-contained, it being avery simple matter to install the unit in a domestic water systeminasmuch as it is only necessary to connect the supply pipe 11 andservice pipe 17 therewith, and lead the pipe 16 thereso from to theproper point fordischarge of waste water, and connect the wires of thepower circuit with the regulator 8, which. as indicated at 18, has wiresleading therefrom through a conduit to the motor 7. Immediately afterthe unit has been set up for use and the storage tank has been filled, apneumatic valve 19 communicating with the tank 10 through the suctionside of the pump 6 has the cap 20 thereof removed to allow air to bedrawn in with the water and forced into the tank. When the proper amountof air has been taken in, the cap is replaced and the unit is then readyfor the fully automatic operation above described. I shall now proceedto a description of the various novel features of construction and 106arrangement incorporated in the unit in accordance with my invention. 7

The pump 6 has face plates 21 and 22 bolted as indicated to the oppositesides of the cast iron housing 23. The base portion 24'ot the pump noerably of the herringbone type and being pressed onto shafts 28 and 29received in bearings in the face plates, the one end of the shaft 29being extended through a bearing 30 and stuffing box to permit of adirect flexible coupling connection with the electric motor 7, asindicated at 31. The similarity to the copending application lieschiefly in the provision of the relief valve 15 directly in the faceplate 21 in communication with the discharge chamber 32 through the port33 in the face plate and arranged to establish communication between thedischarge chamber and the waste pipe 16 through the passage 34 alsoprovided in the face plate. The check valve and strainer in thecopending application, while provided directly in the pump housing, arenot disposed in the same advantageousrelationship as the check valve 13and strainer 12 herein shown. It will be observed that the suctionchamber 35 below the pumping gears has communication through a passage36 with the valve chamber 37 in one side of the base 24 of the pumphousing. A strainer and sediment chamber 38 is provided in the otherside of the base por- I tion 24 of the pump housing, the two chambersbeing separated by a partition wall 39. A valve port 40 in the wall 39affords communication between the two chambers. The checkvalve 13 whichseats outwardly is provided in the chamber 37 by a disc 41 of fiber,bakelite, or the like, mounted as shown, on a metallic stem 42 slidablefreely in a bore 43 formed in a plug 44 threaded as shown into a hole 45provided in one side of the base 24. A smooth seat is machined on thewall 39 for the valve disc 41, as appears at 46. A

light coiled compression spring 47 fits around the stem 42 between thedisc 41 and the plug 44, whereby normally to urge 'the valve toward theseat to close the port 40. The partition wall 39, which as justdescribed provides a valve seat on one side thereof, for the check valve13, provides an abutment on its other side for the inner end of aperforated sleeve 48 constituting the filtering medium of the strainer12, and which fits snugly at its one end in a pilot bore 49 next to theport 40, and at its other end is likewise snugly received in thethreaded hole 50 into which the plug 51 is threaded from the side of thebase 24 to close the strainer chamber 38 and serve by abutment with theouter end of the strainer to clamp the same in position between the wall39 and the plug, in a manner thought to be self-evident. The strainerchamber 38 has the supply pipe 11 communicating therewith so that thewater is first caused to pass through the strainer 12 before it isallowed to pass the check valve 13 and be discharged by the action ofthe pumping gears into the storage tank. It is no doubt evident that thelocation'of the check valve right next to the pumping gears has theadvantages of keeping the pump primed, eliminating water hammer action,and preventing air trapping, these advantages coming also as a result ofthe location of the storage tank directly above the pump. The end to endarrangement of the check valve and temper strainer transversely in thebase portion 24 of the pump housing obviously makes for the bestobtainable compactness, and the partition wall is thereby made to servethe double purpose of providing a seat for the valve on one side and anabutment for the strainer on the other. The plugs 44 and 51, it will beobserved, are made interchangeable, the advantage of which is obvious.

The tank 10 is supported at one end on the pump 6 by means of a nipple52 welded or otherwise suitably secured in the bottom of the tank, as at53. The lower end of the nipple has a rounded projection 54 arranged tofit in a rounded seat 55 provided in the head 56 of the pump housing,whereby to permit a good water-tight joint to be made between the tankand the pump, regardless of the exact position which the nipple assumeswith relation to the pump housing. A union nut 57 threads on theexternally threadedportion 58 of the pump head 56 and cooperates withthe annular shoulder 59 provided on the nipple 52 to complete theconnection between the pump and tank. It is obvious that the connection,

although composed of a few parts which do not require much accuratemachining, and are, therefore, rather inexpensive, is sufiicient tosupport the tank rigidly and without danger of any leakage. After theconnection between the pump and tank has been completed, a pair of sheetmetal arms 60, which are pivoted relative to the bell housing 61 of themotor 7 on the bolts 62 that hold the bell housing in place, are swunginto position in abutment with the bottom of the tank and weldedthereto, as at 63. The bolts 62 can then be tightened and the tank isthen not only rigidly supported by the pump at one end, but also rigidlysupported at its other end by the motor. This eliminates the necessityfor any separate supporting means and results in an appreciable savingin cost.

I claim:

In a pumping apparatus of the character described, the combination witha supply pipe and a service pipe, of a pumping apparatus comprising in aunitary assembly, a base, a storage tank supported in elevaed positionthereon and communicating with the service pipe, a pump disposed belowthe tank on the base with its discharge portion on the upper end thereofand directly connected with the bottom of the tank, the suction portionof said pump being at the bottom thereof and connected with the supplypipe, there being a sediment chamber provided in the suction portion ofsaid pump and the supply pipe communieating wiih an inlet openingprovided in the side wall of said chamber, a hollow cylindrical strainerhorizontally disposed in said chamber in trans verse relation to thesupply pipe, there being a seat provided on one side wall of saidchamber around an outlet opening and said strainer having abutment atits inner end with said seat, and a closure for another opening providedin the wall of said chamber opposite the outlet opening serving to holdthe strainer in place but permit removal for cleaning of the strainerand sediment chamber.

STANLEY H. HOBSON.

